More Top Stories
‘Nothing to worry about’: Prime Minister Brown on China agreement
16 February 2025
‘Serious questions’: Opposition challenges China partnership
15 February 2025
No-confidence motion against PM and his Cabinet faces delays
15 February 2025
Ruta Mave: People’s Republic of China red flag
10 February 2025
No debt in China deal
8 February 2025
Thomas Wynne: Haka with the taniwha or dance with the dragon?
8 February 2025
‘Paedophile’ gets 13 years in prison
22 January 2025
Thomas Wynne: Where were our leaders while children suffered?
25 January 2025
$541.7m tourism earnings
25 January 2025
Cook Islands passport proposal
6 January 2025
Top cop position advertised
7 December 2024
Police need numbers and bigger budget
9 December 2024
Niki Rattle: A call for stronger human rights protections
10 December 2024
Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill referred to Parliament committee
10 December 2024
DPM defends CIIC finance and travel policies
6 December 2024
Cook Islands has its first mosque
14 November 2024
CI Muslim opens up about her faith and journey
16 November 2024
RAC to address mosque legality
19 November 2024
I don’t expect much change: PM Brown on US Elections
6 November 2024
Fifth weekly Sydney flight to Rarotonga announced
23 October 2024
CIIC directors seek $350,000 in damages over defamatory claims
21 October 2024
Man found guilty of rape, burglary
24 September 2024
Tenants face water bill burden
8 October 2024
Concerns over Minister’s role in inmate work releases: PAC
5 October 2024
Tourism contribution set to surpass half-billion dollar mark
25 September 2024
Parliament Clerk sparks outrage over deep sea mining statement
23 September 2024
Deep sea dilemma: Cook Islanders weigh the cost of mineral riches
21 September 2024
Anxiety on the rise: Cook Islands faces mental health challenge
7 September 2024
Cook Islands deep sea mining poll sparks controversy
7 September 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Opinion
Ruta Mave: When ‘special friends’ become predators
Grooming used to be a political terminology used when speaking of an upcoming potential candidate for future elections. It still resides in the political arena but it has become a sickness, Ruta Mave writes.
LETTER TO EDITOR: ‘Fleecing the power uses’
Dear Editor, Kia Orana, if, as Trevor Clarke states in his excellent letter to the editor, (Cook Islands News, October 25, 2022), the main reason for Te Aponga Uira’s existence has been moved from providing sustainable electricity at cheapest prices to the iti Tangata of Rarotonga, to becoming a cash cow for CIIC (Cook Islands Investment Corporation), then surely TAU has to come clean, and provide reasons justifying that position.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Search and rescue mission
Dear Editor, Some observations from someone close to the person brought down off the cross island walk recently. Do not get me wrong, the SAR (search and rescue) teams are an incredibly important service for the community however some other points need to be brought to the conversations being shared over the last few weeks in the newspaper.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Cap on visitor numbers
Dear Editor, Our Tahitian cousins, it seems, are light-years ahead of us once again, calling for a cap on visitor numbers. They want a cap at 300,000 tourists so that there is one local for each visitor.
Staying vigilant: ‘Thankfully none of these diseases are in the Cook Islands’
Parvovirus is a dreadful disease. The world over it costs pet owners a small fortune in routine vaccination costs. Closely related to panleukopaenia virus in cats, it destroys the cells that line the gut.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Remembering the late Police chief
Dear Editor, Please allow me to write a few words about this great Cook Islander. Tangata Nekeare made history together with Fred Goodwin (now Sir Fred Goodwin) when they were the first police cadets appointed by the Cook Islands Police.
RUTA MAVE: Climate change or ‘pyramid scheme’
It is obvious the extent of Government’s promise to be transparent does not extend to letting the public know how much is being spent on the COP27 trip to Egypt, writes Ruta Mave.
LETTER TO EDITOR: China support ‘should be welcomed’
Dear Editor, Your letter writer of yesterday’s ‘No Chinatown’ message is just sour grapes.
Global opposition for the rush to mine deep seabed is growing
Most of us have heard that Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) has recently come out publicly in support of a conditional moratorium on deep sea mining (DSM) in international waters.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Justice must be seen to be done
Dear Editor, I’m confused! In the Cook Islands News court report of 2 November, I read where a young man pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving. The offence being the result of a two car a collision, where he ran into the rear of another vehicle. The police allege it was due to him not paying attention on the road. Full article click on link
LETTER: We are all equal in the eyes of God
Today is October 31st or Halloween where the ghosts and spirits are said to walk amongst us and to help them blend in, people dress up in costumes of the dead, writes Ruta Mave.
LETTER: Showers of blessing
Dear Editor, Lord Jesus, how so awesome, amazing and wonderful is your love and provision towards us, for the huge, humungous, voluminous and God-blessed downpour – a much-needed rain miracle last weekend ushering us into Gospel Week’s Celebration and still showering blessings to another weekend.
PET TALK: It’s all in the eyes
Bright, clear, liquid, dazzling, sad, doleful, crying, lying, beautiful. Eyes can be all of these things. Dogs are experts at puppy dog eyes. Cats are expert at death stares. Eyes tell us all sorts of things about their owners. But sometimes things go wrong. Dr Michael Baer explains.
LETTER: A memorable birthday for all the wrong reasons
Dear Editor, Yesterday, October 22, was my birthday, it was also the day my brother would return from Rarotonga to Auckland on Air New Zealand 945 with a Premium Economy seat that I booked and paid for (no awards points used, just good old hard cash) back in August, one of the last two seats available for this grade of service. I treated him to a Business class ride up here but I was unable to purchase a return Business Class seat because they were ALL SOLD OUT BACK IN AUGUST.
LETTER: TAU’s solar bid ‘designed to fail’
Dear Editor, Te Aponga Uira (TAU) has announced it seeks private sector investment in solar arrays for 4 MW of solar energy. This would require millions of dollars of investment, probably $7 million to $8m in total.
RUTA MAVE: Homogenisation of culture
The homogenisation of cultures across the globe has created a melting pot where communication, cooperation and calm cohesion have created thriving and bustling communities, writes Ruta Mave.
Diving out of their comfort zone for deep sea capacity building
A marine research and training programme called Denticles and Tentacles offered a unique opportunity to train students between the ages of 16-24 years old in ocean exploration, engineering, and research techniques.
LETTER: Access to proper water system
Dear Editor, Further to the letter to the editor (Where’s the promised potable water? Cook Islands News 20/10/22), regarding all that incredible waste of taxpayers’ money on the ongoing Te Mato Vai/To Tatou Vai fiasco – both local taxpayers’ contribution as well as from our generous New Zealand cousins – and nothing to show for it!
Unlocking doors to Cook Islands’ UN membership
The United States’ intention to establish diplomatic ties and recognise the Cook Islands as a sovereign state will open doors to United Nations membership, writes Rarotonga writer and historian Howard Henry.
What the story of Mātini teaches
Twenty-five years ago, Cyclone Martin hit Manihiki. Rachel Reeves, the author of ‘Mātini: The story of Cyclone Martin’ writes about why we should remember.
CHURCH TALK: The family is ordained of God
I am grateful for the opportunities we have to learn more about our Saviour Jesus Christ, his gospel, and how we can actively participate in the work of salvation and exaltation both for ourselves and our families, writes Tamatoa Jonassen of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
